It’s that time of year. The gyms are full, motivation is peaking and the inevitable drop in daily workouts has not yet come to pass. Goals and/or resolutions have been dreamt up (or stolen from others) throughout the tail end of the previous year, never to be achieved. 

Goal setting is essential if we want to achieve that which we do not know is possible.”Contrary to this belief, instead of goal setting, some argue the better approach is building daily habits in the hope that this will lead to continuous growth over time. I disagree. Setting goals and forging steps to achieve them will allow the pursuer to achieve greater things than someone building habits. 

There is nothing wrong with failure. Many/Most/All athletes, musicians and business leaders have failed at different times in their life. It is what follows that allows these people to achieve. Those that do not learn from their failures will surely continue to repeat them.

“Do not be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not learning from your failures.”

As we’ve now completed the crazy year that was 2021, I thought I’d do a brief analysis and see how I went with my goals that I made at the start of the year. Here we go.

If you’re not interested in 2021, scroll down to see my GOALS FOR 2022.

A look back at 2021’s Goals

1. Collect first round of UTMB Qualification Points – Success!

Run Surf Coast Century & collect 4 Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) Qualification Points – this will get me on my way to the 10 points needed to enter the ballot for the UTMB.

Complete! I completed the Surf Coast Century 100 km event in December and what an event it turned out to be!

With the recent changes to the UTMB qualification process, I’m still waiting to see how this will play out. Hopefully I can still use these points to qualify for the ballot.

2. Run over 2021 kms – Success!

Pretty self explanatory. Try to do a little better than last year. My training loads as I prepare for several of my events I have in my Upcoming Race Schedule, should naturally carry me over the 2021 kms mark. An easy one to tick off at the end of the year? Perhaps.

Achieved! I ran 2,348 kms (1459 mi) for the year with over 197 hours of running. My elevation gain was 32,000 m (105,000 Feet) which I was also very happy with.

This mileage was achieved due to the Surf Coast Century training block and staying fairly consistent throughout the year. I’m very happy that I was able to achieve this one!

3. Swim 200 km – Fail

For recovery and to build my upper body strength I’ll utilise the two words most hated by runners – cross training! I found in the tail end of 2020, swimming improved my breathing, the recovery of my knee and muscles as well as improving my upper body strength. Let’s face it, as runners, we need to improve that upper body and lose those runners arms! At 200 km a year, this is around 6 swims a month. Definitely achievable.

Major Fail! In 2021 I swam 66 kms (41 Mi) which was significantly less than what I was hoping for. With the pools closed for a significant portion of the year, even my revised target of 100 kms left me falling short.

I’d like to say that this one is entirely due to COVID19 restrictions (which in part is true). But, I haven’t kept up with my swimming since the pools have reopened. I’m a little disappointed in this one as I do believe it helps with my strength and recovery.

4. Strength Sessions – Fail

Strength session once a week minimum! With a particular focus on leg strength. Elevation gain and descents are areas of improvement that are needed for the types of events I’m looking to enter. Still in recovery and looking to ease back in, this may look easier in the new year but with a renewed focus throughout the winter period.

I’m not sure this one even started. I did complete strength work at different stages throughout the year however these were only really once I started getting minor injuries. When I did complete them (on the rare occasion), they were wall sits, calf raises and squats. Not sure if it’s specific strength work but I was able to do 20 min on the foam roller after each run. I have found this tremendously beneficial so I’ll endeavour to keep this going into 2022. 

5. Be a Parkrun Tourist – 20 Parkruns @ 5 different locations – Revised Pass

I’ve set the challenge to tackle 5 new Parkruns for the year. I’ve set it at 20 events (with a hope to do more) due to getting the balance right with family commitments. Looking forward to a return to those post parkrun coffees though!

Another challenging one due to COVID restrictions with many of the Victorian Parkruns shut for 26 weeks of 2021. Regardless, I managed to get to 16 Parkruns and volunteer 4 times. I also attended 4 different Parkruns in 2021.

Hopefully I can get to a few new events in 2022. If you’re not sure what Parkruns are and want to find out more, check out my article here explaining how. It’s great!

6. Enter More Races  

In addition to the Kilcunda Half Marathon, Razorback Run, Great Ocean Road Marathon, Wonderland and Surf Coast Century (see 2021 schedule) enter another 3 events. Practice race day preparation and continue to gain experience in the execution of race strategy.

Not achieved but I’m calling this one not a fail either.

Another goal which has been somewhat dependent on COVID restrictions. I didn’t expect to do the 2 Bays Trail Run 28 kms and I was booked in for the You Yangs Trail run as a practice for the SCC. I was also scheduled to do a triathlon as part of a team (swim and run legs) but got injured. We managed to get a credit for a race in one of the events next season so that will be one for 2022.

7. Nutrition – Cut back on Bread/Carbs – Success!

In 2020, Bread was my go to meal for Breakfast and Lunch. Whenever I cut back, I felt better, not as heavy. In 2021, I’m looking to cut back on my bread intake, prioritise higher protein consumption and look into other areas of my diet that can be improved.

Achieved. Not that I have ever (or would ever) count specific calories or cut out certain foods completely but I have noticed a difference in cutting down on carbs. I’ve been trying to eat more salads and protein (chicken and fish) which I enjoy. This one is difficult to measure but I’m pretty happy to say that I got there with this one.

8. Read 6 Running Books – Complete!

Because if you’re not running, why not be reading about running!

I thought I was one short on this but turns out I got there!

Do audiobooks count? I think so. I’ve read Running with the Kenyans by Adaranand Finn, The Ultra Mindset by Travis Macy, Life is a Marathon by Matt Fitzgerald, The Way of the Runner by Adaranand Finn and Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. The first two of these were exceptional and I would definitely recommend them.

I also re-read The Rise of the Ultra Runners by guess who, Adaranand Finn? I’m counting it!

9. Blog Goals – Not Yet Achieved

At least one new post a week

Grow JourneytoChamonix viewers.

• 5000 visitors to JourneytoChamonix
• 20,000 page views
• 200 JourneytoChamonix Blog subscribers
• 1000 Instagram subscribers 

This is based on the very limited data of visitors I had at the tail end of 2020. I want to focus on assisting others to achieve their running goals and by increasing viewership, I believe these go hand in hand. I’m excited for what the future of JourneytoChamonix will bring!

In December 2020, I launched JourneytoChamonix! I had been writing content for some time and building the site. However, the end of 2020 was the push I needed to launch it. Pretty daunting for those who have not done anything like this before.

I’m not going to go into the details on this one too much. I definitely overestimated what my audience would be (and the smaller amount of posts than expected may not have helped) at this early stage. I’m really happy with how things are going although I need to get a little more consistent with my posting and uploading. We’ll get there. It’s a learning process.

Looking ahead to 2022

1. Run over 3022 kms (2022 + 1000 kms)

Pretty self explanatory. Try to do better than last year. My training loads as I prepare for several of my events I have in my 2022 Race Schedule, should naturally get me to around the 3000 kms mark. A logical step up from my base in 2021, but still a bit of a jump. Definitely achievable with the right focus.

2. Own a valid UTMB Index (run a 100 mile qualifying event)

Run The Alpine Challenge 100 mile & receive a valid 6 Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) Index. Although I will still fall short of qualification into the UTMB due to recent changes to the qualification process, this was the long term goal and will still assist me in qualifying for the UTMB. I’ll just need to do another event in 2023 to lock in that qualification. 100 miles is a long way.

3. Run a Sub 3 Hr Marathon

Something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. Although this will not strictly help me qualify or prepare for the UTMB, it will help with my running and will still require a large base and mileage to pull off. I’ll target the Melbourne Marathon in October for this one which should give me plenty of time to prepare. My current PB for the Marathon is 3hr 47min so I’ve got a little way to go 😉

4. Swim 100 km 

For recovery and to build my upper body strength I’ll utilise the two words most hated by runners – cross training! I found in 2020, swimming improved my breathing, the recovery of my knee and muscles as well as improving my upper body strength. In 2021 it was difficult to get to the pool with it being closed for so long! At 100 km a year, this is around 3 swims a month. Definitely achievable.

5. Be a Parkrun Tourist – 25 Parkruns @ 5 different locations  

Parkruns are finally back! Yes we all have our favourite local parkrun but I’ve set the challenge to get to 5 different events. There is a new one locally which I’m keen to check out. I’ve set the target at 25 events (with a hope to do more) due to getting the balance right with family commitments. I’m currently sitting on 78 Parkruns so this should get me to the big 100. I’m also looking forward to getting back to those post parkrun coffees on a more consistent basis!

6. Enter More Races  

In addition to the Kilcunda Half Marathon, Alpine Challenge, Great Ocean Road Marathon and Melbourne Marathon enter another 3 events. Practice race day preparation and continue to gain experience in the execution of race strategy.

Check out my 2022 race plan.

7. Read 6 Running Books

Because if you’re not running, why not be reading about running!

8. Blog Goals

I’m looking to be more consistent with my writing and publishing 6 articles a month will be the goal for 2022. A tough one as all articles do take time and care to write so I’ll have to find the additional time to make this happen. 

Grow JourneytoChamonix viewers.

• 5000 visitors to JourneytoChamonix
• 20,000 page views
• 200 JourneytoChamonix Blog subscribers
• 1000 Instagram subscribers

I didn’t achieve these figures in 2021 which is ok. But, I am committing to achieving them. I’ve decided to roll these over to 2022 as I do believe I can get there.

I want to focus on assisting others to achieve their running goals and by increasing viewership, I believe these go hand in hand. I’m excited for what the future of JourneytoChamonix will bring!

What are your goals for 2022?